The promulgation of the Ordinance amending and supplementing a number of provisions of the Ordinance on the Consolidation of Legal Normative Documents aims to ensure consistency and coherence with newly enacted laws.

On the morning of June 23, the Presidential Office held a press conference to announce the President’s Order promulgating two ordinances recently adopted by the Standing Committee of the 16th National Assembly. These include the Ordinance amending and supplementing a number of provisions of the Ordinance on Procedures for the Consideration and Decision of Administrative Handling Measures at People’s Courts, and the Ordinance amending and supplementing a number of provisions of the Ordinance on the Consolidation of Legal Normative Documents.

At the press conference, Can Dinh Tai, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Office, announced the President’s Order concerning the two ordinances. Representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme People’s Court also provided information on the key amendments and additions introduced by the legal documents.

New provisions on electronic case files and shorter case-processing timelines

The Ordinance amending and supplementing a number of provisions of the Ordinance on Procedures for the Consideration and Decision of Administrative Handling Measures at People’s Courts was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on June 10, 2026, and will take effect on July 1, 2026.

According to a representative of the Supreme People’s Court, the ordinance introduces amendments relating to the application of information technology in the process of court consideration and decision-making on administrative handling measures. It also streamlines certain procedures and hearings related to administrative handling measures, while shortening several processing deadlines to ensure cases are handled more swiftly and effectively in response to practical requirements.

To ensure consistency with the 2025 Law on Drug Prevention and Control and to better reflect practical realities, the ordinance amends and supplements 27 articles of Ordinance No. 03/2022/UBTVQH15.

One notable amendment introduces provisions allowing procuracies to receive case files electronically. Accordingly, after receiving notification that a court has accepted a case file, the procuracy is entitled to review the case file at the court handling the matter, make copies of the file, and receive the case file electronically in accordance with applicable regulations.

The ordinance also adds provisions governing the transmission, delivery and receipt of documents, dossiers and materials through electronic means, thereby institutionalizing policies promoting the application of science, technology and digital transformation. To ensure effective implementation, the Supreme People’s Court will take the lead, in coordination with the Supreme People’s Procuracy and the Ministry of Public Security, in providing guidance for implementation.

The ordinance further revises procedures governing hearings on the consideration and decision of administrative handling measures. Instead of prescribing in detail the sequence of questioning and argument by participants, the ordinance authorizes judges to determine the appropriate conduct of questioning and argument based on the nature and circumstances of each case, thereby improving efficiency and reducing processing time.

From July 1, first-instance hearings may proceed in the absence of procurators

The ordinance also shortens several deadlines in the process of considering and deciding on administrative handling measures in order to ensure prompt and timely resolution of cases, while reducing pressure on the management and temporary detention of drug users. The revised timelines relate to the consideration and issuance of decisions on administrative handling measures, notification of case acceptance by courts, issuance of decisions, scheduling of hearings, supplementation of case files and documents, as well as the time limits for complaints, recommendations and protests.

Notably, the ordinance stipulates that if a procurator is absent from a first-instance hearing concerning the consideration and decision of administrative handling measures, the court is not required to postpone the hearing. According to the drafting agency, this provision is intended to enhance the accountability of state agencies in performing their assigned responsibilities and to ensure cases are resolved within statutory deadlines.

For appellate hearings concerning complaints, recommendations and protests against court decisions, the current regulations remain unchanged. Accordingly, procurators are required to attend such hearings, and courts must postpone the hearing if a procurator is absent.

In addition, the ordinance introduces provisions on the temporary suspension or exemption from serving the remaining period of compulsory drug rehabilitation measures. It also reviews and revises a number of provisions to ensure consistency with the Law on Drug Prevention and Control.

Expanding the scope of legal document consolidation

At the press conference, Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Thanh Tinh stated that the Ordinance amending and supplementing a number of provisions of the Ordinance on the Consolidation of Legal Normative Documents will take effect on July 1, 2026. The ordinance amends nine articles and introduces five major policy groups aimed at improving the effectiveness of legal drafting, application and legal research.

Under the ordinance, the scope of consolidation is expanded to include legal normative documents issued by local authorities. It also broadens the range of documents subject to consolidation to cover documents that amend, supplement, correct, partially repeal, partially suspend, or partially restore the effectiveness of previously issued legal documents.

The ordinance also revises and supplements provisions on consolidation to implement Conclusion No. 09-KL/TW of the Politburo on improving the structure of Vietnam’s legal system to meet national development requirements in the new era, as well as conclusions reached by General Secretary and President To Lam, Head of the Central Steering Committee for Institutional and Legal Reform, at the committee’s second meeting as set out in Notice No. 11-TB/BCDTW.

The notice calls for a fundamental reform of the consolidation of legal normative documents, under which consolidated texts become the official basis for legal citation and application, and are submitted and published simultaneously with amending and supplementing legal documents. This approach is expected to facilitate legal application for citizens, businesses and public officials, while supporting the principle of placing citizens and enterprises at the center of policy design.

Concluding the press conference, Can Dinh Tai, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Office, emphasized that although the two ordinances address different areas, both carry significant practical importance in the ongoing process of building a socialist rule-of-law state in Vietnam, improving the quality of lawmaking and law enforcement, and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, businesses, agencies and organizations.

The Ordinance amending and supplementing a number of provisions of the Ordinance on the Consolidation of Legal Normative Documents will help address difficulties in legal research and application arising from the frequent amendment and supplementation of legal documents. Enhancing the practical value of consolidated texts will enable them to become an official, convenient and transparent legal tool for citizens, businesses and public officials in citing and applying the law. It will also contribute to promoting digital transformation, data connectivity and lower compliance costs.

Regarding the ordinance on procedures for the consideration and decision of administrative handling measures at People’s Courts, the latest amendments will further strengthen judicial mechanisms in this specialized administrative field, ensuring rigorous, objective and timely procedures while expanding the use of electronic methods and enhancing the protection of human rights and citizens’ rights.

The leadership of the Presidential Office called on the drafting agencies to provide comprehensive and accurate information regarding the content, new provisions and implementation requirements of the two ordinances, thereby helping the new regulations to be effectively and promptly put into practice.